People who are concerned about starting their own business are always fantasized by gigantic brands like Apple, Gucci, or the idea of Facebook, Google and YouTube. The inspiration of big business in the heads of the people is fed by the spotlight of media on these multi-million dollar success stories and the way the media glamorizes the risks and rewards of the big businesses.
The media makes the news by portraying the entrepreneurs like the game of chance winners. This in come back builds a longing within us to run our own business but most of us bashful away because of lack of self-assurance to face the risks of business life.
During the time of my graduate school, most of my friends and class mates wanted or wished to have their own business after graduation. I myself always dreamt of having my own fashion outlet or a coffee shop. Now it has been 2 years since I have graduated and to no bolt from the blue I have not even started my own private venture yet. But during this time since I have been thinking hard to start with something, I understood one thing for sure that I really don’t have to” hit a home run”. What I mean is that before we even start an actual business lay out; one thing we have to be clear about is that our business idea does not have to be the next Google or for being a fashion designer be the next Zara. To start a business we don’t have to invent the next big thing, we just start off with something that we are good at doing and people are good in buying it.
The terror of facing the loss in business is another crisis. But we can deal with that by keeping the upfront costs minimal. We do not have to make our business look all pretty and fancy from day one, so we should try to cut costs by making our products or services available on line. Well, thanks to the big business idea of Facebook, so we can save up our costs by presenting our ideas by making a page on FB, and displaying all our products and services there, so this way we can save the cost of renting a place out for it, and not only that but also by saving the cost of paying the electricity bills, the gas bill, wages of the shop keepers and the sales team etc.
Most significantly, to start a business does not mean you have to give up your job. Your job can dole out as a safety net, so you can invest your pay in your business and launch it when you are all set and ready for doing it. Thus, you would need to engage in both your career and business. No doubt, all this will call for a lot of your time and focus. But in the end it will be worth it.
Like I mentioned earlier that the media only likes to make news and they do not only make news but they make news sound all big and flashy, so bear in mind most of the time we are disheartened of starting up our own business because of what to we hear on news about “the economy”. No doubt economic conditions do profoundly impact our lives and living standards, but that does not mean we sit back and not invest in what we are good at, so before we take a decision to whether we should or we should not start our own business due to the plummet in the economy, it is wiser for us to look into our personal economy. By personal economy I mean not the economy of your siblings or your neighbors but your own finances should be sturdy enough to shore up a simple yet a meaningful business to start up with.
To wrap up, I would like to add that you do not only need to have a strong financial back up to set up up your own private venture but what you also require is a constructive and optimistic state of mind and a level confidence that cannot be traumatized or crushed by any external cause.
